Pinto Car Club of America

i found a 2.8  and am seriously thinking about droppin git in my truck. anyone out there know if it'll fit or have done this kind of swap. present mtr is the 2.0L ohc carb with 5spd.
engine bay dimensions are as follows.

firewall to rstock radiator====28 3/4"

frame rail width==========19 3/4"

firewall to front bulkhead===37"

egnine bay height========approximately 27"  

have cowl induction hood (homemade) don't look too bad

i'm going to look for a t5 tranny as i don't think my stock one will hande the 2.8L  

any one with experience please  please  write back

thanks......... Dale

I knew a guy who put a 2.8 from a Capri in a 72 Courier.  Seemed to barely fit.  He had to cut a hole in the hood to clear the aircleaner.  He drove it for a couple years with no problems till some kids put rocks down the valve covers.  After repairing the damage he overheated the thing real bad.  He forgot to tie up one of the heater hoses away from the exhaust manifold.  The temp gauge didn't work.  He ended up installing a used 2.8 from a Mustang II but it didn't have the power the Capri motor had.  He sold it shorty after and bought a Nissan.  Unfortunately I have no idea what he had to do to make it fit.

thanks tigger. thankfully my truck is a little bigger than the 72

Quote from: 1repuwannabe on July 08, 2004, 11:14:19 AM
thanks tigger. thankfully my truck is a little bigger than the 72

what year courier?  I saw a 302 conversion with hooker headers... on a later model (early 80's) courier that resembled the Mazda truck.  

79 courier. i'll be dropping in a 2.3 n/a for now till i can build a 2.3T and really have some fun.   Thank you everyone for your input. I know that i'm not running a pinto but our engins are about the same

Quote from: TIGGER on July 07, 2004, 04:21:05 PM
I knew a guy who put a 2.8 from a Capri in a 72 Courier..... He ended up installing a used 2.8 from a Mustang II but it didn't have the power the Capri motor had.

There is no difference between the 2.8 in the Capri, Pinto and Mustang II.  Some of the Capris had dual exhaust which gave the engine a little more kick on the freeway.  There was a slight variation in the heads during the mid 70's that didn't amount to much more than a negligible increase in the compression ratio, but not enough to give the engine any noticeable increase in power.


Aside from that, I've seen a few people put these engines in the Courier and early Mazda B-pickups.  I think the only real problem was the air cleaner was too high, but the problem could be resolved by cutting a hole in the top of the hood and placing a hood scoop over the hole.